New Wire

Yesterday I finished 3 smaller pieces in the last of my sterling silver wire - and with amazing timing my new order arrived this morning!

So now I have a few ounces of silver wire to play with. Picture me rubbing my hands together and chortling with glee :)

Here are yesterday's creations:

Letitia's Lament/ Letitia's Joy

On the left is Lament, with a top heavy weave representing the weight of grief bearing down
On the right, the the giddy curlicues of joy when grief is gone




Dark Temptations: also a double sided piece

The front is plain to show off the natural beauty of the stone.
The back has a dark section representing temptation encroaching on the bright fire with a 'serpent' detail.



Fuchsia Bud

A simple piece meant to keep the wire at a minimum to let the stone stand on it's own merits. It's a large 4.5cm amethyst. A fuchsia bud with a fluorite dew drop clinging tenaciously to the bottom.

Bone Carvings

Today I have started a new project: 3 bone carvings. One is for my son, and the other 2 are a gift for someone very kind and who I feel deserves a special thank you. At this stage I won't be posting pictures as I want the recipients of my thank you carvings to be the first to see them.

Today I went to a professional carver to get the bones and the basic shape cut out with a band saw since I don't have one and this saves a huge amount of work on the initial shaping. The next stage of shaping would be easier done with a grinder, but as I don't have one of those either I have chosen an older method. This afternoon I spent about an hour and a half filing the rough edges, before starting some of the intricate shaping with my dremel and some brand-new dentists drill bits. My fingers are cramping as I type, but it's a satisfying feeling as I haven't done a bone carving in years. The last being one for my husband about 6 years ago.

Keep posted to see how this project progresses!

whooooo!

Oh boy, it has been way too long since I got on here. I have a number of new creations, but life has been so busy. I am working on a tutorial for the octopus design, but with so much going on it may be a while before it is ready to go. This is a popular little number and I have made a few, though they are all different in little ways. Here's the original and largest of the lot...

Back from holidays!

What a wonderful holiday! We got fed sooooo many fantastic home cooked meals by my mum, aunt and sister, and also an incredible spit roast that is the best I have ever had. Considering my family's Southern European origins, this is a big boast! My cousin has the art of the spit roast perfected.

It was great to see my family again after so long and to check out all the old stomping grounds. Sydney is so big, and I have got used to quieter living! The little man had a blast checking out so many people and all the huge skyscrapers. Most especially he loved getting to ride on the trains (he's just turned 3 and LOVES Thomas the tank engine).

It was great to see new jewellery designs in a different place, and though some were so-so, some were fantastic and have inspired some new ideas I am just dying to try out. Today is catching up with everything post-holiday, and tomorrow I am working, but after that I am back in the creating groove - can't wait!

New creations

The countdown is on till we are away on holidays. In the meantime I am trying to fill the last of the commissions and finish one last request of my sister's so I can take it with me when I go. Well, she didn't actually ask but it's obvious from all the hints being dropped she'd love one.

She liked my curlicues necklace, but as she already has some turquoise and howlite from me, I decided to use something else. She mentioned that she wanted something in red coral so that's the new idea to play on. Curlicues meets coral. It's about half way there now, then just one last simple necklace she actually did ask for outright but that's a quick and easy project.

Back to the curling....

Wow it's pouring!

For the first time since I moved to NZ (almost 6 years) I am experiencing a great storm!
It's pouring down by the truckload, hailing and some spectacular lightning and thunder to cap it off. The road is flooded, and looks like a whitewater course!

I love storms and they have been one thing I have missed in moving here. I feel vitalised and recharged. I just love it. It's made me feel inspired again.

Heatwave

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, you might be thinking summer sounds nice, but today is so hot I am just going nuts....along with my cheeky son who hasn't sat still, or stopped whining all day.

I am sitting and trying to do some weaving but it feels like it's too hard to move. I am working on a simple Celtic knot, since anything more complex will probably roast my brain. Ok. so maybe not, but the heat has made me lethargic.

Blah.

Manaia Pendant

That's manaia NOT mania.

For those not in the know, a manaia is a creature of Maori legend. It is a supernatural being, an iwi guardian (tribal guardian), to ward of danger, to frighten away intruders. The manaia is a bird-like figure, a spiritual and mythical creature.

I have been thinking for a few days to do a Maori themed weave, and my husband has really urged me to do one. I decided on a manaia. Bone carving pendants of manaia usually have a second element too - and I was going to use a hei matau (fish hook). After making that decision I started thinking about our niece named Manaia, and thought a koru (furled fern frond) representing new beginnings would better suit a small (almost) toddler just starting her journey through life.

So, I am sitting here and weaving, and waiting to see how it will evolve as I work......